So at what point should I have beat my newfound friend over the head with the Bible telling her that she has to make a decision for Jesus right then, or else?...
I was very comfortable not doing so. My views on evangelism are changing a bit. The good ol' traditional evangelical evangelism would have been confronting her with her future and the possibility of our plane going down. Where would she be going? Heaven? Hell?
I see it differently. I didn't share before, but Ruby and I had changed seating assignments right before entering the plane. We got placed beside Caroline. My view on the whole thing, and what makes it much MORE comfortable for me to begin a coversation in the first place is the chance that I may have an opportunity to be someone in Caroline's journey. I may not force her to ask the question outright by my asking the 'saved' question, but I think what I did is far more significant. It's a conversation that enlightened her to the fact that all Christians weren't biggots or regimented in their beliefs. I know the conversation I had impacted me as it made me to think more deeply about my faith, and I believe it made her do the same.
I think often we (Christians) try to play God. We save the person. It's what we say that makes or breaks whether a person accepts Christ into their lives. Did we use the right language? Did we phrase the question the right way? How many of you have ever heard someone say, "Wow, after he asked me the question that way...that's what convinced me?" Who made us God? If we are so fortunate, God gives us the ability (like with Caroline) to speak into the lives of people and help them in their journey, but at no time are we the ones that save. That's God's job.
So for all you who are PETRIFIED of talking to people about Jesus...don't be. Don't think of it in terms of decision, think of it in terms of journey. For a moment in time you are able to share the relevency of Christ to the person. From that point on, it's the Spirit's job. Feel relieved? I know I do. Some may think I don't care about the eternity of the person by not posing the salvation question. I beg to differ. It's precisely because I do care about the eternity of a person that I do not feel forced to do so. I would much rather present the beauty of Jesus and the relevency He gives for this life rather than begin an uncomfortable conversation trying to convince someone of something they're not convinced they need. If they're not ready they get defensive and it turns into a debate.
People aren't projects...they're creation...God's creation. Treat them as such. Don't treat them as someone to win, but treat them as someone God loves. Show them God's love. Show them you care about their viewpoint, even if you don't agree. Jesus becomes much more convincing when He's represented in a way that isn't damning...when he's represented in a way that just wants to enter a plane, sit next to someone, and have a conversation about life.
